Must-read fan fiction from 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' 'Bones,' 'Twilight' and more

Happy Valentine’s Day, a day late, but can romance ever be too late? Well, I don’t think so, but that just may be me. And yes, you haven’t stopped off in the wrong place. This is the fan fiction recommendations column for February. And don’t you dare think that hearts and flowers, and romance and chocolate, don’t loom as large in the world of fan fiction, as it does in every other path of life. In fact, I believe some of the best romances I’ve read with familiar characters I already loved are fan fiction (or have their roots in fan fiction). Stories of big angst, big romance, great heartache and big love are the meat and potatoes of fan fiction.

So, today, I thought I’d share some of the romances I’ve found that fit the holiday spirit, and a few that have their roots in one of the biggest-selling romance novels in recent history. Of course, I’m talking about Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James.

Even Hollywood knows Fifty Shades can work its magic during this holiday week — Fifty Shades Darker, the movie based on book two of the series, was launched this past weekend. I haven’t seen it yet, but my plans are to do so and soon, but until then, I’ve got fan fiction to read.

This month I’ve selected several fandoms for my recommendations — including Fifty Shades of Grey. So, sit back and pull out the old book marker and jot down this list of fan-favorite fanfics.

Sometimes, I’m fascinated by a title, and this one, Fifty Shades of Drake, grabbed my attention the other day when I was strolling through Wattpad. Actually, it wasn’t only me. Bunches of other readers over the past couple of years have visited the story on Wattpad, earning it more than 4.6 million reads and 198,000 votes. Not bad 🙂 … ! Sexually explicit, but it’s an ongoing tale (over 450 parts) set at Howard University. Bookmark and check it out 🙂 !

This next one is about an earthquake, which just goes to show that Fifty Shades fan fiction can do whatever you want it to do, from romance to action adventure. It’s also an extremely popular fanfic with nearly 7,000 reviews on fanfiction.net.

I’ve been obsessed with Bones lately. I binge-watched the first six seasons recently and was pleasantly reminded of how well this show got it right in the early days. Fan fiction writers figured it out, too, and wrote an abundance of fabulous fiction, mostly during the early seasons of the show. The relationship between Booth and Bones took a believable journey to love that included friendship, respect, hero and heroine, a good solid dialogue and conflict — the opposites-attract trope never looked so good. Fan fiction writers had a field day.

Emily Deschanel as Temperance and David Boreanaz as Booth in Bones. (Photo: Patrick McElhenney, Fox)

Thank you for visiting. And if you’re not already a fanfic fan, you might give it a try. You could find some great stories to love. Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

Denny S. Bryce is a 2016 RWA Golden Heart finalist in historical romance. She also won the 2014 RWA Golden Heart in romantic suspense. Her website is www.dennysbryce.com. You can also follow her on Twitter (@DennySBryce) or connect with her on Facebook.